Sickle-hocked

Sickle-hocked is the term used for saying that an animal's leg structure is incorrect. Sickle-hocked is when the back legs joints, of an animal are set with too much angle, resulting in the hock of an animal also having too much angle. This can result in uneven hoof wear, which is incredibly painful for the animal. It also means that if the leg joints are not set properly, there is a high chance that the back joints are also set incorrectly, resulting in a structurely incorrect animal who is in pain.
Later in the animal's life, with a very severe case of sickle-hock, this can also result in permanent lameness- where the animal can hardly move or walk- and may have to be killed.

However, many animals do not have a joint condition such as sickle-hock to quite this extent, and may live a life with uneven wearing hooves.

However, at some point in the animal's life this condition will prove to be more serious, and it recommended that faults like these are removed from the breeding line.
Some animals who may have this condition include, but are not limited to cattle, horses, sheep, and many other types of livestock.

See also

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